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Topic Review (Newest First)

02-18-2007 06:54 PM

mitmaks

Local welding outfit Norton will get me a big bottle 60 or 80 (not sure) all filled up for $150, and other place has about same price also. Ive checked on ebay and it seems like it'll cost you same if you buy it on ebay and have it shipped and then filled up at your local welding supply store

02-17-2007 01:02 PM

AndieKustom

i prefer flux core simply becuase i dont have to worry about running out of gas, the tensile on the stuff i bought th other day is rigth around 21k or somthing to that effect, i think gasless will weld just as well as the operators skills, ive gotten full penetration through a body panel withotu blowing a hole in it and only paid 7 bucks for the welding wire(walmart speical)

but alas im just a kid and my version of "a good weld" is different from some of you guy who have done it for a while

my .02 cents anyhow

02-17-2007 10:07 AM

acourtjester

cheap gas bottle

Hi
Only one has pointed out the fact that you can use CO-2 for mig I used it for years, It is ture that tne argon/CO2 mix is better. but some of us have to to start out with less money. A cheap supply for a CO2 bottle is a soft drink CO2 bottle I have bought them from the junk yard for $5. they are bid enough to last a year or more. People sell them for the aluminum not the bottle. I have traded them out at the local welding supplier full for about $15. no questions asked. Just like every body else you aare just paying for the gas at that point..
Have fun
Tom

02-11-2007 06:56 PM

russlaferrera

where to buy a cheap argon gas bottle

There are several responses to this question. It depends on where you live as state laws differ as store policies differ.
In my area the best price and service was the welding supply. They sold me a a used 20 cf tank. (it was cheaper then a new tank) Later my needs dictated the need for a larger tank (a small fee, a 40 cf tank) Because I always buy from them, it is a drop and pick system I never worry about tank testing dates. I have the freedom of different gas mixes. I do not have to wait for "MY" tank to be filled.

Northern Tool Tractor Supply are in my area. Their policy here states there is a $12 fee per tank that was not purchased from them Their price was $35 higher than the welding supply I deal with

Shop around!...russ

02-10-2007 08:49 PM

oldred

You could probably get a lot of disagreement on that one. I think it will be fairly well agreed on that MIG is better and probably few people would prefer the gas-less flux core but this is mostly due to weld appearance. There is certainly an advantage to using flux core outdoors or in any drafty area but IMO MIG is better when it can be used. Just looking at the spec sheet the flux core seems to be comparable to gas shielded wire and indeed some welders will say it is just as strong but in my experience I have not found this to be the case and I would discourage the use of it for any critical weld. That said it can be used successfully for most work but as with anything it depends a lot on the quality of the weld. Of course there are different types of wire in both MIG and flux core so it really is not as simple as "which is best MIG or flux core" but for the smaller hobby type machines it does kind of come down to that and IMO I would say to use MIG as the first choice and gas-less flux core as a last resort. We have been talking about the gas-less flux core wires up until now but there are some really good gas shielded flux core wires out there that will hold their own against just about any kind of welding. These "duel shield" wires have been around for quite a long time in industrial welding but until recently only in sizes too large for a home type machine but this is changing. One particularly good wire, Hobart Excell Arc 71, is available in .035 and for a 220 volt machine this stuff is simply fantastic and can be used about any where one would use solid wire but it welds even easier and makes a beautiful weld bead. This type of wire uses C/25 or straight CO2 gas and leaves a light slag over the weld bead that will easily brush off or will fall off on it's own. I have found the Excell Arc to be a great wire for poor fit-ups with a gap or holes to be filled and it will easily weld really slick in any position, even overhead.

02-10-2007 08:09 PM

DeathRattle

Has anyone done a comparison between flux and gas? Mainly comparing strength of the weld.
Only asking as I just received a free welder that can do both and right off the bat I was gonna go for gas but I will probably only be welding exhaust and maybe a shifter bracket or two.

02-10-2007 06:42 PM

oldred

That Tractor Supply price is not out of line and you touched on a big advantage- they are open on weekends, seems weekends when the gas outfits are closed are the most likely times to run out They also will exchange any bottle as long as you own it and it is in date. The last Acetylene bottle I took in to them had been expired for about a year and they took it anyway telling me they would get it tested but they just did me a favor on that on. Get the biggest bottle you can handle because the fill price difference between the small bottles and the big ones is not very much and the price per cubic foot of gas is a heck of a lot cheaper when you fill a big tank. Sometimes it may be tempting to just forget the gas and use flux core but when you consider the cost difference between flux core and the solid wire the gas does not seem so expensive.

02-10-2007 06:08 PM

61bone

Strange thing

In all the years I have welded, I haven't bought or leased a bottle of any kind for thirty years. I buy a bottle contract that cost 100-150 dollars for the bottle first time plus the fill. Then just trade the bottle when it is enpty. At the end of five years if I don't want the bottle anymore I can turn it in and get my money back. If I do, they just extend the contract with no extra expense. There is no use requirement or time limits. Due to a recent move, my new contracts are only a couple years old but before, some were over twenty years old and I got the money back for all of them.So for the price of one bottle, you are assured that you have current bottles and some recourse if they are leaking.

02-10-2007 05:19 PM

Arrowhead

I'm not sure it's in line, but that about what I paid for the first bottle. They sweetened the deal by telling me "Your first fill up is free" Wow, woope dud. I bought it and just pay to exchange for a full one (at like 30 bucks a pop) when it runs out. After you refill that a couple of times, you figure out you only need a whisper of that gas if your welding indoors.

02-10-2007 04:58 PM

weirdbeard

I got a lil bottle at an AirGas company. They sold me the 20cm bottle filled for $90. Of course they will refill.

02-10-2007 04:44 PM

Prof. T. Soggmeyer

maybe found a souce?

I called Tractor Supply in the next town and they have a #1 bottle for 116.00. they don't refill them, they only will do an exchange. Does this seem in line?The welding supply store is closed on weekends so I can't call them till Monday.

02-10-2007 01:48 PM

Henry Highrise

Where I live....you can lease them on a yearly basis or buy them. It is cheaper to buy them in the long run. The same welding supply stores that lease them....will also sell them to you.

02-10-2007 12:02 PM

cboy

Before investing in the bottle(s) make sure your local supplier will fill them. The local suppliers where I live simply refuse to fill oxygen, acetylene and argon bottles which are not leased from them. I have to drive 3.5 hours round trip to a supplier that will fill owner owned bottles. Makes me furious. I've owned my own tanks, well, forever, and now the gas suppliers have basically put a gun to my head to go on their over priced lease plan.

02-10-2007 11:19 AM

41'srfun

Welding gas

You can always lease a bottle of most any kind from your local welding supply. But regardless of how often you use the welder,you will still be billed on a regular basis for the use of the bottle. I've found the best way to go is to purchase the bottle. That way if you don't use it for a period of time there is no expense other than the cost of the gas.
Also unless you are planning on welding aluminum, CO2 will work just about as good as Argon or the Argon/Co2 Steel mix gas. And it is normaly much cheaper than pure Argon. I have 2, Co2 bottles that I use for mig welding and they both came from a soft drink machine. They have the same connection as the regulator on the mig welder and they cost me next to nothing. I exchange them with the welding supply when I need to have them refilled and never have to worry about paying for the cost of testing the bottle that way.
I also have a regular Argon bottle that I use strictly for tig welding, that isn't used very much. I normally have it refilled about twice a year and don't have to pay rental fees on it either, but it is always there when I need it.

02-10-2007 09:18 AM

pepi

agree 40 is the way to go

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